Travel
He said, she said: Experiencing ANZAC Day at Gallipoli
Driven by a long-held desire to pay their respects to the ANZACs and reflect on the tragic legacy of war, Leonie and Andrew embarked on a deeply emotional day from Istanbul to Gallipoli.
By Leonie and Andrew Jarrett
Leonie and Andrew visited Gallipoli for the first time in 2024, which they did this as a guided day trip from Istanbul. The day trip was organised via Crowded House Tours (booked via GetYourGuide). Transport was in an air-conditioned, non-smoking van with seat belts with a driver and an English-speaking guide.
The tour was called “From Istanbul: Gallipoli and Anzac Full-Day Tour.” Leonie and Andrew were picked up from their hotel about 7 am and dropped back to their hotel about 9 pm. (The day trip can be even longer depending on your hotel location).
Lunch was provided at a restaurant en route to Gallipoli in Eceabat and there was a stop on the way back to Istanbul to buy snacks for dinner.
Why did you go to Gallipoli?
Andrew
For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by the ANZAC legend and deeply drawn to making my own pilgrimage to Gallipoli.
Standing at the MCG on ANZAC day has become a lock in the diary event for my family over the years. That day is just as much about paying our respects to the ANZACs as it is to watching our beloved Collingwood Magpies.
Movies like Peter Weir’s Gallipoli, The Lighthorsemen and Russell Crowe’s The Water Diviner have over the years all captured my imagination. I have also devoured various books on the ANZAC campaign including: Les Carlyon’s and Peter FitzSimons’ books both titled Gallipoli. I have also read the diaries of Australia’s famous official World War 1 historian Charles Bean. Suffice to say, I was 100% up for our visit to Gallipoli.
Leonie
Gallipoli was absolutely one of my “Must Go To” places to visit. Not because I wanted to “tick it off” but because I wanted to pay my respects to those who gave their lives in war.
That sounds trite and I guess it is but I can’t undo the wrongs that were done. All I can do is honour the memory of those who were killed and wounded. By visiting and telling people about my visit, I feel that those lost and damaged lives are not forgotten.
Having visited Gallipoli, what did you think?
Andrew
The sights were incredible. We visited the Nek, immortalised in Peter Weir’s movie, and walked through the still intact (albeit crumbling) trench systems of both the ANZACs and the Turks. I found myself pondering the question of how I would have felt and what I would have done if I was one of the young Australians commanded to run at the Turkish machine guns, in what those soldiers knew was a run to their deaths.
We visited the landing beaches and the Lone Pine memorial. Each naturally beautiful, manicured to within an inch of their life but enveloped in an overwhelming shroud of sadness.
Gallipoli was a wonderful day trip we shared with a minibus full of fellow Australian and Kiwi ANZAC pilgrims. A special acknowledgement to the Turkish people for the way they so respectfully and reverently have preserved the Gallipoli battlefield and made it so accessible to visitors.
Leonie
I found the day dreadfully sad. Our Guide told us a lot of stories but, for me, the most affecting site was the rows and rows of headstones.
I read some inscriptions and the words were profoundly moving but it was seeing the rows and rows of headstones at various cemeteries which made the enormity of the loss of life hit home.
Anything you would do differently?
Andrew
I doubt that I will return to Gallipoli. Once was enough. It was just too sad. I walked between the tombstones and read the memorial plaques to so many young lads of 19 and 20.
After the war, each Australian family was allowed to add a sentence to their dead son’s memorial plaque. I am not too proud to say that these words from the heart brought many a tear to my eye as I felt the pain of parents saying goodbye to their sons and felt them questioning “the why” and “for what” had they lost their child.
It might have been just over 100 years ago but I felt their loss today and I again thought of how I would have felt and coped if it were my child.
Leonie
I am not sure that I will go to Gallipoli again. I agree with Andrew – it was just too sad.
If I were to return, I would not do a day trip as it was just too long a day. The drivers drove too fast for my liking and there were hours of driving.
There is tourist accommodation and infrastructure near the Gallipoli Peninsula so I would stay there at least one night; maybe two.
I also wouldn’t choose to return in July as it was very hot. That said, if you only do a day trip in an air-conditioned vehicle as we did, the temperature doesn’t matter too much. Our Guide always found a shaded area when we left the van.
What are your lasting impressions?
Andrew
In my mind, Gallipoli is a memorial to the absolute futility of war. It is magnificently preserved and it definitely honours those who fought and died.
As a proud Australian, I was gobsmacked by the bravery and self-sacrifice of our forebears. I also discovered a new respect for the bravery and sacrifice of the Turkish soldiers. But for what?
Today, the Turks are our friends and gracious hosts yet a century ago the ANZACs invaded their homeland at the behest of the British.
My visit to Gallipoli really made me question why governments send young men (and, today, women) to war for the geopolitical whims and needs of the day.
Ultimately, I did get to pay my respects to the ANZACs at Gallipoli. In doing so, I felt that I satisfied what I always thought was my duty as a proud Australian.
Leonie
I felt the same feeling of duty as Andrew. As a proud and grateful Australian, Gallipoli is a place that I felt I needed to visit.
As I expected, I found the day incredibly sad. Reading the headstones and seeing how young the soldiers were when they died was indescribably awful. We have two sons in their 20s and I shuddered to think that this could have been our boys on the other side of the world being cannon fodder.
Our Turkish guide was very respectful. Given that many more Turks than Australians died in the Gallipoli campaign, it must be a tricky job taking busloads of Australians and New Zealanders to Gallipoli each day.
Something that surprised me was how naturally beautiful the cliffs and beaches were. We visited in the summer and there were families on the beach and swimming in the calm, blue water. On the one hand, the beauty amplified the sadness. On the other hand, it was heart-warming to see young people and families enjoying their freedom and the natural beauty.
Andrew and Leonie
Lest We Forget.
Feature image: Courtesy of Leonie Jarrett
Andrew and Leonie’s trip to Gallipoli in Türkiye was self-funded.
About Andrew and Leonie
Andrew is 57 and retired. Trained in Marketing and owner of several businesses, his mission for the rest of his life is to have fun and catch as many fish as he can!
Leonie is 57 and semi-retired. Trained in Law and owner of several businesses, her mission for the rest of her life is to write another chapter.
Andrew and Leonie played tennis together as teenagers and they have been married for 32 years. They have four grown children and two fur baby Golden Retrievers. They have travelled to all 7 continents and to over 50 countries. Their mission for the rest of their life is to make the most of every day and to travel until they get tired of it!
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